http://www.thepublicreviews.com Theatre reviews for you, by you. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:45:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Reviewer: Rosie Revell The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars As Chris Addison himself relates to the audience, he is slightly famous. Seemingly an understatement, Addison is instantly recognisable from TV shows such as Mock The Week, QI and The Thick Of It. His stand up is not so famous and, if I’m [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/chris-addison-the-time-is-now-again-harrogate-theatre/ Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars The Public in West Bromwich hosts regular comedy nights in its intimate theatre. This time, it showcased some local talent on the bill. Local boy Lee Gee was the compere. An ex-teacher, Lee hails from Walsall. His trademark is observational comedy, but he [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-public-comedy-showcase-the-public-west-bromwich/ Writer/Director: Donna Rutherford Reviewer: Lizzie Kirkwood The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Donna Rutherford’s piece explores changing relationships between middle-aged children and their parents. Combining live monologues and filmed interviews, the show is a touching and anecdotal look at how familial relationships are affected by aging. The interviews with performers Tim Ingram [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/kin-the-lowry-theatre-salford/ Music: Tim Prottey-Jones Book: Robert Gould/Sarah Henley Direction: Sarah Henley Reviewer: Lucy Thackray The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars After the Turn first hits you with its original plot. Michael (Liam Doyle) is a talented young musician on the brink of making it big with his band when his single mother Amanda (Ashleigh Gray) [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/after-the-turn-courtyard-theatre-london/ Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Elio Pace opens his concert with a mission statement set to music. ‘Oh So Tight’, as well as paying tribute to his rock’n’roll heroes, welcomes the audience and sets out his objective of delivering the maximum entertainment possible. If the final goal is [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/elio-pace-the-lowry-salford/ Writer: William Shakespeare Director:   Barrie Rutter Reviewer: Lorna Andrewes The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars The first time I saw Northern Broadside in 1993 (The Merry Wives of Windsor), they were like a gust of fresh air, breathing life into Shakespeare’s work. In this production, made in partnership with the New [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/loves-labours-lost-new-vic-theatre-newcastle-under-lyme/ Writer: Philip Ridley Director : Edward Dick Reviewer : Jonathan Grant The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars The Pitchfork Disney is widely recognized as the first piece of “in yer face” theatre. That the play can still shock, some 21 years after it burst on to the London stage and during which [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-pitchfork-disney-%e2%80%93-arcola-theatre-london/ Writer: John Graham Davies Director: Matt Rutter Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars   “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.” For many, Bill Shankly’s quote could sum up Liverpool. A city of intense football passion [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/beating-berlusconi-new-wolsey-theatre-ipswich/ Books/Music/Lyrics: Dougal Irvine Director: Sally Rapier Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars It is hard to believe that a little over a year ago, InSTEP Theatre company who originated out of LIPA produced their debut production, a rather splendid and well perfectly formed presentation of Jason Robert Browns’ song [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/departure-lounge-%e2%80%93-unity-theatre-liverpool/ Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Lucy Bailey Reviewer: Mary Tapper The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars The wonder of Shakespeare is that with a skilful director a play can be interpreted in an entirely fresh way and different ideas brought to the fore. Lucy Bailey is a clever woman and this Taming of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-taming-of-the-shrew-%e2%80%93-royal-shakespeare-theatre-stratford-on-avon/ Writer: Ross Mills, Ged Graham, Ryan Mills Director: Ross Mills Creative Director: Ged Graham Choreographer: Robyn Ford Composer and Arranger: Liam Holmes and Ged Graham Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 0 out of 5 stars   Route 66, the fabled American highway immortalised on film and in song – a fitting backdrop for [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/american-anthems-corn-exchange-cambridge/ Directors: Jessica Latowicki and Dan Canham. Reviewer: Jack Trott The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars   Handed popcorn as you walk into the intimate theatre space and greeted by Jessica Latowicki with a warm smile, standing atop a podium, the audience is engaged from the very outset of We Hope That You [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/we-hope-that-you-are-happy30-cecil-street-the-junction-cambridge/ Band: Alex Guy (keyboards and violin/viola) and Tim Young (guitars) Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars This is the first time that Laura Veirs has played a gig in Salford and the accent is something of a barrier. ‘Don’t be fooled’ a local calls out in response to her [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/laura-veirs-the-lowry-salford/ Music: Borut Krizisnik, Masaya Takashino, Street Furniture, Luke Harney Director: Sharon Watson Reviewer: Tiffany Shepherd The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Contemporary Dance doesn’t have the best record for being a light night at the theatre, with a reputation for being complex, long, and frankly, very confusing. But, I have to admit [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/crossing-points-west-yorkshire-playhouse-leeds/ Writer: Vivienne Franzmann Director: Matthew Dunster Reviewer: David Noble The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Mogadishu, which is with no great relevance to the plot the capital of Somalia, is the cautionary tale of a young, black school student who assaults a teacher. The play is a study of the culture of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/mogadishu-%e2%80%93-liverpool-playhouse/ Directors: Michael Nunn and William Trevitt Choreographers: Russell Maliphant, Paul Roberts, Jarek Cemerek Reviewer: Maggie Constable The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars At Milton Keynes Theatre for one night only was a feast of dance this evening in the form of the BalletBoyz with their Talent show, back by popular demand. BalletBoyz [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-ballet-boyz-in-talent-milton-keynes-theatre/ Writer: John Ford Director: Declan Donnellan Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Tis Pity, first performed in the early seventeenth century, takes on the taboo of incest unapologetically and can be uncomfortable watching for the audience. Giovanni returns to the family home with his friend, teacher and ultimately confessor, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/tis-pity-she%e2%80%99s-a-whore-%e2%80%93-warwick-arts-centre-coventry/ Music: Sergei Prokoviev Choreographer: Victor Smirnov Golovanog Reviewer: Lu Greer The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars To say that the Moscow City Ballet’s version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is good is probably very obvious, as the Ballet company is of course one of Russia’s most successful touring companies, and it is [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/romeo-and-juliet-theatre-royal-norwich/ Book, Music & Lyrics: Lionel Bart Director: Laurence Connor Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Producer Cameron Mackintosh alongside director Laurence Connor wowed us two years ago with their spectacular 25th Anniversary production of Les Miserables. They teamed up once again to offer us the sensational Royal Albert Hall [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/oliver-%e2%80%93-palace-theatre-manchester/ Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Edward Hall Text Adaptation: Edward Hall and Roger Warren Reviewer: Sarah Bannister The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Propeller beguiled and entertained Sheffield audiences last year with The Comedy of Errors and Richard III and the audience tonight were delighted to join them again at the Lyceum for [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-winters-tale-lyceum-theatre-sheffield/ Writer: Federico Garcia Lorca (new version by Emily Mann) Director: Bijan Sheibani Reviewer: Catherine Love The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Iran, the backdrop for director Bijan Sheibani’s new version of Lorca’s classic play, is in many senses a natural relocation for this examination of tyranny, oppression and a society where ‘to [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-house-of-bernarda-alba-%e2%80%93-almeida-theatre-london/ Writer: Agatha Christie Director: Joe Harmston Reviewer: Sheila Cornelius The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars The ornate three-tier Richmond Theatre is an excellent venue for Agatha Christies’ ‘Murder on the Nile’, first staged in 1944. Echoing a more leisurely era, that of the 1930s, a gin advert projected onto velvet curtains sets [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/murder-on-the-nile-richmond-theatre-london/ Writers: Antony Jay, Jonathon Lynn Director: Jonathon Lynn Reviewer: Jane Pink The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars   I am of the generation that remembers their parents laughing heartily at Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds in the original BBC versions of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister in the 1980s. [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/yes-prime-minister-festival-theatre-chichester/ Music: Silvio Amato Artistic Director & Choreographer: Cavaliere Giuseppe Arena Reviewer: Victoria Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars   Coming hot on the heels of the pantomime season, and following such a well-known and loved children’s story, The Russian Ice Stars production of Peter Pan falls interestingly between two genres. The [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/peter-pan-on-ice-marlowe-theatre-canterbury/ Writer:Helen Edmundson Music:Neil Hannon Lyrics:Neil Hannon Director:Tom Morris Reviewer:Samantha Currie The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Swallows and Amazons is currently at the beginning of a UK tour after playing at the Bristol Old Vic and the West End. Directed by Tom Morris, the co-director of War Horse, with music and lyrics [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/swallows-and-amazons-%e2%80%93-festival-theatre-edinburgh/ Writer: Ingmar Bergman adapted from A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen) Translators: Frederick J Marker and Lise-Lone Marker Music: Simon Slater Director: Patricia Benecke Reviewer: Selwyn Knight The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Nora seems to have the world at her feet. A childlike flibbertigibbet who is thrilled that her husband, Torvald, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/nora-%e2%80%93-belgrade-theatre-coventry/ Music and Lyrics: Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin Director and Choreographer: Jerry Mitchell Book: Heather Hach Reviewer: Maggie Constable The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Recently out of the West End, Legally Blonde is one of those musicals which began as a book, went on to being a film and has emerged [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/legally-blonde-the-musical-aylesbury-waterside-theatre/ Director & Choreographer: Mitch Sebastian Vocal & Musical Supervisor: Matthew Freeman Reviewer: Angela Wilson The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars The glamour and glitz of Las Vegas comes to Leicester this week as the Rat Pack hits town. Curve is transformed into the chic Copa Room nightclub at the Sands Hotel in [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-rat-pack-live-from-las-vegas-%e2%80%93-curve-leicester-2/ Writer: Caryl Churchill Director: Max Stafford-Clark Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars   Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls is widely regarded as a classic of 20th Century theatre, an examination of the sacrifices women over the centuries have had to make to become successful in a male dominated environment. However [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/top-girls-theatre-royal-bury-st-edmunds/ Director: Stephen Daldry Music: Stephen Warbeck Reviewer: Poppy Helm The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Almost fifteen years since I studied An Inspector Calls at school myself, another generation of teenagers cram giddily into The Lowry to do the same – a testament to both the longevity of J.B. Priestly’s original story [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/an-inspector-calls-the-lowry-salford/ Writers: Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran Music supervision:Keith Strachan Choreographer: Carole Todd Director: Bob Thomson Reviewer: Joanna Papageorgiou The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars   There is dancing and singing and spinning around. There were songs that had people tapping their feet and bobbing their heads. There were pretty gals and there [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/dreamboats-and-petticoats-hippodrome-bristol/ Writer: Alan Ayckbourn Director: Alan Ayckbourn Reviewer: Flip Miller The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars   “Who would have thought the Police would mistake Jesus for a deadly weapon?”  Just one of the wonderful one-liners written by Alan Ayckbourn in his 75th play Neighbourhood Watch. Set in the house of brother and [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/neighbourhood-watch-%e2%80%93-arts-theatre-cambridge/ Writer: Stephen Venables Reviewer: Jo Beggs The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars What makes men (and occasionally women) climb mountains? Internationally acclaimed mountaineer, writer and broadcaster Stephen Venables doesn’t attempt to answer this question, but it’s one that plays on my mind throughout his excellent illustrated talk. Most of the audience don’t [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/stephen-venables-the-legend-of-eric-shipton-the-lowry-salford/ Writer: Rick Limentani Composer: Iván Capillas Director: Rick Limentani Reviewer: Deborah Klayman The Public Reviews Rating: 2 out of 5 stars Boasting an elaborate and superbly designed set juxtaposing two clashing cultures, Freedom is set in the dual worlds of modern day Tajikistan and England. A young man, Fariad (Indranyl Singharay), learns that his father [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/freedom-arcola-theatre-london/ Reviewer: Lettie Mckie The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Any famous group from ABBA to The Smiths, Blur to Oasis, The Sex Pistols to The Wurzels have at least one (and probably more) tribute acts to their name. Although, like Marmite, the beauty of these acts is largely in the eye of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-counterfeit-stones-richmond-theatre-london/ Writer: Hugo von Hofmannstahl Music: Richard Strauss Director: David McVicar Reviewer: Elizabeth Vile The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars This revival of the 2008 production at the London Coliseum of Der Rosenkavalier tells the comic story of a passionate young man, a beautiful young woman, a melancholic older woman and a rampant [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/der-rosenkavalier-coliseum-london/ Writer: Chris Lee Director: Mary Nighy Reviewer: Ian Foster The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Taking inspiration from the infamous Baby P case and his own experiences as a full-time social worker, Chris Lee’s play Shallow Slumber makes for brutal but compassionately compelling theatre. Played out in traverse in the intimacy of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/shallow-slumber-%e2%80%93-soho-theatre-london/ Writer and performer: Simon Munnery Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Simon Munnery starts off his new show in the way he does not intend to go on. A show made up of lengthy monologues and songs opens with a series of short and marvellously surreal one-liners. Munnery enters [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/simon-munnery-hats-off-to-the-101ers-the-lowry-salford/ Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: 2 out of 5 stars Although ‘Beowulf the Dragon Slayer’ is promoted as suitable for ages from seven few concessions are made for the attention span of such an audience. The tale of Beowulf is enacted by a single performer using wooden puppets carved in the style of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/beouwulf-the-dragon-slayer-the-lowry-salford/ Music & Lyrics: Christopher J Orton Book & Lyrics: Robert Gould Production: SimG Records Reviewer: Julie Robinson The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars This studio cast recording features a selection of sixteen songs from new Welsh musical My Land’s Shore. Set against the background of the Merthyr uprising of 1831, My Land’s [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/cd-review-my-land%e2%80%99s-shore/ Reviewer: Iain Sykes The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars   This is Hugh Cornwell’s first ever visit to The Lowry and he’s impressed. “Nice place” he says as he looks around from the stage of the Quays Theatre, the complex’s smaller theatre, “spacious yet intimate”. In fact, the perfect space for the [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/hugh-cornwell-the-lowry-salford/ Theatre often has its finger firmly on the pulse of modern society – sometimes, such as in the case of the Tricycle Theatre’s rapid response to the summer riots, even more so than those in power. This week’s top picks recognise theatre’s power to respond to and reflect our world with a selection of plays [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/what%e2%80%99s-hot-%e2%80%93-30th-january-2012/ Written by: Nia Ceidiog, Rob Lee Created by: Dave Gingell, Dave Jones Rob Lee Reviewer: Maggie Constable The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars The Hero next door was back at lunchtime, due to popular demand, with his live stage show Pontypandy Rocks! at Milton Keynes Theatre. We joined Fireman Sam with all [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/fireman-sam-pontypandy-rocks-milton-keynes-theatre/ Writer: Elizabeth Moynihan Performers: Alan Mooney, Karlina Grace Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 29 September 2008. The Dow Jones falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day loss in its history. In a hotel room in Dublin a commodity trader realises the balance of power is about to change. However, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/marvel-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Writer: Brett Goldstein Reviewer: Cherry See The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars I’m not sure some members of the audience at The Square Chapel Theatre were quite ready for the natural wit of funny-man Brett Goldstein. Growing up in a strip club turns out not to be the glam-Stringfellow-esque lifestyle you may [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/brett-goldstein-grew-up-in-a-strip-club-%e2%80%93-the-square-chapel-halifax/ New writing isn’t just confined to the stage, playwrights are now using the skills they have honed in theatres to transfer their ideas to the big screen. As part of the Hotbed Festival a series of short films are being shown that highlight new voices. Wish 143 Writer: Tom Bidwell The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/short-films-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ If writers think  it is challenging to convey character and plot in a one act play, spare a thought for those brave souls who have risen to Menagerie’s One Page Play competition. The premise is simple – writers have been asked to submit a complete play to compete for a cash prize to be donated [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/one-page-play-compathon-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Writer: Pat Kinevane Director: Jim Culleton Music: Denis Clohessy Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars   A 75 minute one man show about homelessness. Not a topic that seems destined to provide many laughs but in Pat Kinevane’s mesmerising one-man show for Fishamble, we get laughs and tears in [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/silent-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ In the middle of a weekend celebrating the power of new theatre writing, what actually is the situation for new writing across the county? In a lively debate chaired by Guardian theatre critic Lyn Gardner, a panel of playwright Mike Bartlett, Paines Plough’s Artistic Director James Grieve, and Liverpool Everyman’s Literary Manager, Suzanne Bell, together [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/state-of-the-new-writing-nation-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Writer: Ros Connelly Performed by: Helen Cartwright and Alan Mooney Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Renowned for her portrayal of Shakespeare’s most famous female roles, Dame Ellen Terry’s own life had more than its own fair share of drama. Married three times and involved in several other relationships, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/ellen-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Choreography: Russell Maliphant, Paul Roberts and Jarek Cemerek Music: Richard English, Keaton Henson, Ondrej Dedecek, Ismael De Garay and Yoav Reviewer: Elizabeth Vile The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Bringing contemporary ballet to the masses is a hard task but it is one that Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, the founders of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/balletboyz-the-talent-richmond-theatre-london/ Writer: Brian Langtry Director: Stephen Leatherland Musical Director/Arranger: Martin Hughes Reviewer: Jennie Philpot The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Eva Cassidy has become a household name in the past 10 years, impressing millions with her powerful and poignant vocals. She is famous for her soulful voice, shy personality and tragically short life [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/over-the-rainbow-the-eva-cassidy-story-%e2%80%93-new-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/ Reviewer:Maggie Constable The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Jeremy Hardy is one of the UK’s most respected comedians. A vital member of Radio 4′s The News Quiz team and Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Hardy is back on tour in 2012 as a stand-up where he began. We were treated to a [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/jeremy-hardy-royal-derngate-theatre-northampton/ Writer: Joanne Sherryden Director: Adam Zane Reviewer: Elisa Jones The Public Reviews Rating: 2 out of 5 stars The Rainbow Connection is a love story between a gay man and a straight woman who attempt to cure one another of their respective emotional issues using predominantly booze and vulgar humour. The play has the distinct [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/replay-festival-2012-the-rainbow-connection-the-lowry-salford/ Adapted from the novel ‘The Whisperer’ by Orlando Figes Director: Peter Symonds Reviewer: Clare Boswell The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Direct from the National Theatre, this latest offering from Theatre Unlimited entitled ‘Stalin’s favourite’ sits quite comfortably somewhere between a play and a history lecture. Centred on poet Konstantin Simonov, it [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/stalin%e2%80%99s-favourite-lowry-theatre-salford/ Author: Noel Coward Director: Caroline Leslie Reviewer: Ann Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars This play turns around three main characters, Otto (Kieran Hill) a painter, Leo (Gyuri Sarossy) a playwright and Gilda (Marianne Oldham) Muse to both of them. At one point in the play one of them describes their [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/design-for-living-salisbury-playhouse/ Writer: Ed Harris Director: Paul Bourne Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars   How much is art really worth? Do the Grand Masters justify their price tag? In a darkerned flat hangs a recently purchased Gainsborough, bought for a snip at over $5million. The owner though doesn’t intend to [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/piglet-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Reviewer: Audrey Pointer The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Session musician Davis is best known as a saxophonist playing every size of horn, but he also plays flute, whistle and Shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute. Having taken a jazz diploma at Leeds College of Music as a youngster, Snake went on to [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/snake-davis-square-chapel-centre-halifax/ As part of Menagerie’s Hotbed Festival, eight authors were invited to create eight new monologues especially for the festival. The brief was open but with a suggestion of a ‘looking back and looking forward’ theme. The monologues are presented in two batches during the festival. Reviewer: Glen Pearce   Death Of A Cyclist Writer: Steve [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/roaring-voices-part2hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ As part of Menagerie’s Hotbed Festival, eight authors were invited to create eight new monologues especially for the festival. The brief was open but with a suggestion of a ‘looking back and looking forward’ theme. The monologues are presented in two batches during the festival. Reviewer: Glen Pearce   Mind Detox Writer: Esther Shanson Performer: [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/roaring-voices-part-1hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Reviewer: Laura Stimpson The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars I arrived at Square Chapel not really knowing what to expect from the cross-cultural music making on offer from Daniel Bath and Shahbaz Hussain in concert. Daniel Bath is a multi-talented musician, known in the local area for his inspirational work with young [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/daniel-bath-and-shabaz-hussain-in-concert-square-chapel-halifax/ Writer: Hideki Noda and Colin Teevan Director: Hideki Noda Reviewer: Jemma Bicknell The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Ido is a Japanese salaryman who happily, unquestioningly, follows the rules; he works hard in his suit each day, eats his dinner at 7.30pm, and makes love to his wife on a Thursday night. [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-bee-%e2%80%93-soho-theatre-london/ Writer: Alexander Wright Director: Dominic Allen Reviewer: Marina Spark The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Entering into a world created by Belt Up Theatre is a journey that should be experienced by all. On this occasion the audience is pulled into a Victorian style sitting room and asked to make themselves comfortable [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-boy-james-%e2%80%93-the-goldsmith-southwark-playhouse-london/ Writer: Richard Stockwell Director: Elisa Amesbury Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars The stage is not the natural location for science fiction. The need to convey an alien environment without a big budget can result in the use of awkward futuristic slang. Richard Stockwell’s ‘Future Shock’ is not immune [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/future-shock-library-theatre-manchester/ Writer: Benjamin Askew Director: Jacqui Honess-Martin Review: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Good and evil. In a dark prison cell the boundaries are blurred. Not for young Lizzy Malkin though. Tortured and charged with being a witch, she finds herself imprisoned with the source of her torment, Witchfinder General, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/necessary-evil-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Writer: Chris O’Connell Director: Patrick Morris Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars The wide open spaces, the fresh air, the big skies of the countryside, equally as unsettling to city dwellers as the confines and busy-ness unsettle rural visits to urban life. For city dwellers Ash, his girlfriend, Joy, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/forgive-our-paranoia-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ Writer: Rebekah Harrison Director: Rebekah Harrison Reviewer: Lizzie Kirkwood The Public Reviews Rating: 2 out of 5 stars In the challengingly cramped space above the Lass ‘O’ Gowrie, Rebekah Harrison brings her latest offering; three short domestic dramas in the space of an hour. Recurring themes link the pieces; we see three relationships between a [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/thinking-out-loud-the-lass-o-gowrie-manchester/ Music: Sergei Prokofiev Choreography: Natalia Ryshenko & Viktor Smirnov-Golovanov The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Moscow City Ballet (MCB) must be one of the hardest working ballet troupes in the world. From January 3rd to end of March they will have done nearly 70 shows throughout the UK; varying performances between The [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/moscow-city-ballet-romeo-juliet-churchill-theatre-bromley/ Reviewer : Jonathan Grant The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars By popular demand Steven Webb, accompanied by some wonderfully talented friends, returned to the Landor Theatre to perform his “A Spotlight On..” evening , first aired ten days earlier. The intimate venue was packed with Webb’s friends and colleagues lending a genuinely [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/a-spotlight-on%e2%80%a6-steven-webb-%e2%80%93-landor-theatre-london/ Originally from Worcestershire, composer Tim Prottey-Jones studied music at Wolverhampton University and is now based in Birmingham. He released his first album, More With Every Line, in 2010 and another, Surrounded by the Sounds, last year. His new musical, After the Turn, opens for previews on 31st January at the Courtyard Theatre. Lucy Thackray caught [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/interview-10-minutes-with-tim-prottey-jones/ Writer: August Strindberg Adaptor: Emily Juniper Director: Mark Leipacher Reviewer: Deborah Klayman The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Strindberg’s Miss Julie is a play that has truly stood the test of time – the themes of power and lust versus love are universal and enduring, as are its naturalistic style and eloquent [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/miss-julie-new-diorama-theatre-london/ Writer: Caryl Churchill Director: Max Stafford-Clark Reviewer: Mary Tapper The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Is Top Girls a historic relic of a play from the 80s or does it contain messages that still seem relevant today? The play has a quite strange structure. First performed in 1982, depicting Thatcher’s Britain, the [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/top-girls-oxford-playhouse/ One of the trials for any writer is getting their new work from page to stage. Until you take the written word and hear it spoken it’s difficult for any playwright to really know if their idea works or not. Although writing is something of a solitary craft it needs the input of others to [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/preview-hotbed-festival-the-junction-cambridge/ The last time I saw Ramin Karimloo at Café de Paris, he was stripped down to his underwear and belting out Kings Of Leon’s ‘Sex On Fire’ for the MADTrust fundraiser ‘West End Bares’. Wednesday night was a very different story, as the Les Misérables star was here to showcase some of the songs from [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/ramin-karimloo-ramin-album-launch-cafe-de-paris/ Music: Glenn Buhr Choreography: David Bintley Reviewer: Peter Jacobs The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Beauty and the Beast is not one of the great classical ballets but the story of Belle and the cruel, vain prince enchanted to live as a beast as punishment for his thoughtless ways has a similar [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/birmingham-royal-ballet-beauty-and-the-beast-the-lowry/ Book: Jon Conway Music & Lyrics: David Essex Director: Nikolai Foster Reviewer: Jo Beggs The Public Reviews Rating: 2 out of 5 stars In 1980 I was there. In my local Odeon with a bunch of other giggly fourteen year olds holding our breath as David Essex made the terrifying circuit of Silverstone in Silver [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/all-the-fun-of-the-fair-the-opera-house-manchester/ Writers: Eric Idle and John Du Prez Director: Christopher Luscombe Reviewer: David Aldridge The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars The UK tour of Spamalot has a stripped down cast for smaller stages but manages to retain a playful sense of Broadway spectacle at the same time as developing an intimacy among the [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/spamalot-new-theatre-oxford/ Performed by: Alfie Boe Musical Director: James Morgan Conductor: Steve Higgins Reviewer: Glen Pearce The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars For many aspiring musical theatre actors, Les Miserables’ Bring Him Home is often sung with the alternative lyrics ‘God It’s High’, reference to the vocal dexterity required for any tenor who has [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/alfie-boe-bring-him-home-regent-theatre-ipswich/ Music: Tchaikovsky Director/Choreographer: Matthew Bourne Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars Many have tackled Tchaikovsky’s ballet standard, but not many have managed to bring such a level of originality and vision to the piece as Matthew Bourne has done here. Originally produced over 20 years ago, Nutcracker! has an [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/matthew-bourne%e2%80%99s-nutcracker-%e2%80%93-empire-theatre-liverpool/ Choreographer: Brendon Cole Musical Director: Barry Robinson Reviewer: Sue Cartwright The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars New Zealander, Brendon Cole, has made his name in this country as the bad boy of the BBC TV reality show, Strictly Come Dancing, where he has become renowned for his daring dance moves, sometimes stretching [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/live-and-unjudged-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/ Let Oddsocks blow the winter blues away and take you back to when life was good, the pennies counted more than the pounds and the swinging sixties was only a jive away, when you could buy a new suit and still get change from 50p! Oddsocks’ new show The Merry Wives of Windsor perform at [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/oddsocks-merry-wives-of-windsor-qeh-theatre-bristol/ Writer/Director: Alan Ayckbourn Reviewer: Bill Avenell The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars It was all a bit of an anti-climax really. A nearly full Yvonne Arnaud Theatre waited in anticipation for the new play from Alan Ayckbourn, the doyen of poking dark humour at the middle classes, with a strong cast assembled [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/neighbourhood-watch-yvonne-arnaud-theatre-guildford/ Book: Michael Stewart Music And Lyrics: Jerry Herman Musical Director: Matt Brown Director: Ray Jeffrey Reviewer: James Clark The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Based on the play ‘The Matchmaker’ by Thornton Wilder, the Norfolk & Norwich Operatic Society version of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ is an enjoyable production, truly loved by its audience, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/hello-dolly-theatre-royal-norwich/ Creator & Director: Michael Flatley Reviewer: Robin King The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars   I can only imagine there were a number of additional toe-tappings at the Bristol Hippodrome as the talented cast of The Lord of the Dance worked their magic over the audience. Their mesmeric performance led us on [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-lord-of-the-dance-%e2%80%93-the-bristol-hippodrome/ Writer: Jim Cartwright Director: Greg Hersov Reviewer: Laura Maley The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Justin Moorhouse and Victoria Elliott play the landlord and landlady of a northern pub in Jim Cartwright’s play Two at the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester. Over the course of one evening they embody the characters of [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/two-the-royal-exchange-theatre-manchester/ Musial Director: Barry Robinson Director & Choreographer: Brendan Cole Reviewer: Maggie Constable The Public Reviews Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars If, as I am, you are a secret ‘Strictly’ fan, and are especially keen on one Brendan Cole, awesome and cheeky professional dancer (and latterly ‘white knight’) from the recent BBC ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/brendan-cole-live-and-unjudged-aylesbury-waterside-theatre/ Writer: by Deborah Frances-White. Reviewer: Julie Burrow The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars According to her website, Deborah Frances-White is a stand-up comedian, writer and executive coach, and brings all of these skills together for this show, which tutors men and women on how to become more attractive to the opposite sex. [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/how-to-get-almost-anyone-to-want-to-sleep-with-you-the-lowry-salford/ Production: Speckulation Entertainment Reviewer: Lucy Thackray The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars Helena Blackman, runner-up in early TV casting show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, has worked hard to maintain her fanbase and keep performing since her TV debut. Despite leading roles in South Pacific, Saturday Night and the recent Noël [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/helena-blackman-journey-to-the-past-the-pheasantry-london/ Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Phil Willmott Reviewer: Ian Foster The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Given the ubiquity of productions of Shakespeare’s works in so many of our theatres, and in particular of certain works within the canon, one might assume that those that remain neglected remain so for a very good [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/king-john-union-theatre-london/ Writer: Georges Feydeau Director: Michael Friend Reviewer: Joanna Forest The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars The Primrose Path by Georges Feydeau, the master of french farce, is a collection of three different short plays: School for Lovers, Love and a Piano and Late Relations, presented here in a new English version by [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-primrose-path-love-marriage-and-divorce-%e2%80%93-pentameters-theatre-london/ Director: Matthew Gould Writer: Michael Horspool Reviewer: Lettie Mckie The Public Reviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Act-on productions’ The Sword and the Dope was a rollicking and light hearted show told in the cosy comfort of The Greenwich Playhouse, a small but perfectly formed theatre above a pub, slightly rowdy, but effortlessly cheerful. [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/the-sword-and-the-dope-greenwich-playhouse-london/ Love, in all its many varieties, is a form of timeless theatrical inspiration that never strays far from our stages. From bohemian love triangles to tender romances to incestuous liaisons, this week’s top picks have everything you could wish for in the passion department. Picks by Catherine Love   1) CONSTELLATIONS – ROYAL COURT THEATRE, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/what%e2%80%99s-hot-%e2%80%93-23rd-january-2012/ Writer and director: Deborah Frances-White Reviewer: Cherry See The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a show entitled “How to Get Almost Anyone to Want to Sleep with You”. Could it be a modern and more open-minded Blind Date or would it be a self-help [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/how-to-get-almost-anyone-to-want-to-sleep-with-you-%e2%80%93-square-chapel-halifax/ Reviewer: Rosie Revell The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of the exuberant and energetic conductor, Juango Mena, visited Leeds Town Hall last night and it is fair to say they certainly left their audience satisfied with their performance. From the moment Mena took to the [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/bbc-philharmonic-orchestra-leeds-town-hall/ Reviewer: Laura Maley The Public Reviews Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars As the ITV giant Britain’s Got Talent is filming in the Lyric Theatre, at The Lowry, I spy a man with a saucepan on his head being filmed outside the building. Elsewhere – and less surreally – in the Quays Theatre the audience [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/signatures-2012-youth-dance-showcase-the-lowry-salford/ Writer: Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty Music: Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens Director: James Baker Reviewer: Tracey Lowe The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars The stars were shining in an unexpected location this January, as Warrington Collegiate gave a spectacular performance of Seussical. This was by no means a bumbling production in [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/seussical-%e2%80%93-the-musical-%e2%80%93-warrington-collegiate/ Writer: Bill Naughton Director: David Thacker Reviewer: Iain Sykes The Public Reviews Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Alfie, the most iconic swinging sixties London wide boy, originally sprang from the pen of Bolton writer, Bill Naughton, so it’s a sort of homecoming for the play now being performed at the Octagon Theatre in Naughton’s [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/alfie-%e2%80%93-octagon-theatre-bolton/ A compelling and emotionally gripping play about skin lightening heads to The Public in West Bromwich on Monday 6 February Created and performed by Marlene McKenzie, Lite uncovers the emotional and physical journey a young woman will take to fit into society today. Tackling hard hitting social issues, the thought provoking and moving production looks [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/competition-lite-the-public-west-bromwich/ After the success of Ghost the Musical, it would seem as though the North West contains the kind of audiences that want major musicals to launch closer to home. Happily, as part of Ambassador Theatre Group’s ‘Manchester Gets It First’ initiative, this March sees the Manchester Opera House, in assoation with Michael Rose LTD, host [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/preview-monkee-business-the-musical-%e2%80%93-press-launch/ Composer: Tchaikovsky Original Choreography: Petipa Adapted Choreography: Victor Smirnov-Golovanov Reviewer: Ann Bawtree The Public Reviews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars What an embarrassment of riches to have so many first class classical dancers on hand that they are not identified in a cast list. There was no way to know who was dancing Clara, [...]]]> http://www.thepublicreviews.com/moscow-city-ballet-the-nutcracker-richmond-theatre/